BOOGITY! BOOGITY! BOOGITY!
Racing Legend Darrell Waltrip a Nominee for Inaugural NASCAR Hall Of Fame
New York, NY – Darrell Waltrip, a three-time NASCAR Champion and the lead analyst for NASCAR on FOX, is among the first nominees vying for a spot in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s inaugural class, it was announced today on NASCAR.com. It was also revealed today that Waltrip’s long-time rival Bobby Allison is also a nominee for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s first class. Additional nominees, a pair each day, will be identified tomorrow and Thursday, July 2, before the rest are announced Thursday night during an hour-long special on SPEED at 8:00 PM ET.
Long before flourishing in his current role as the cornerstone of NASCAR on FOX’s broadcast team, Waltrip became one of the sport’s most legendary drivers. Upon retirement in 2000, Waltrip recorded 84 career wins (3rd all-time) and was Winston Cup Champion in 1981, 1982 and 1985. Clearly, Waltrip’s most memorable victory was the 1989 Daytona 500, his sole career win at the Great American Race.
“My whole career, I’ve always thought it was cool that other big league sports would refer to their guys as ‘Hall of Famers,’” said Waltrip from his home in Franklin, TN. “I hoped that one day someone would refer to me that way. It’s the greatest honor a driver can receive, to be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It means you must have been pretty good at what you do. I am humbled and excited that my name, Darrell Waltrip, would be under consideration for a spot in the Hall.”
Thursday’s SPEED special will be hosted by long-time NASCAR broadcaster Ken Squier, and immediately following the program, NASCAR.com will provide a gallery of all 25 finalists and will open registration for a fan vote. Nominees were determined by a 21-person Nominating Committee consisting of officials from NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, plus owners and operators of major speedways and historic short tracks. The list will represents many who helped build the sport, including drivers, owners and promoters.
Waltrip twice copped the Most Popular Driver Award (1989-90) and was the proud recipient of the prestigious Bill France Award of Excellence in 2000, honoring his lifetime of achievements on the race track. In 2003, Waltrip was elected into the National Motorsports Hall of Fame, an honor followed by an induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005. Through his 29 year racing career, DW captured 59 Cup poles (4th all-time) and remains the only five-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600 (1978-79, 1985, 1988-89).
–FOX SPORTS–
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